In the Studio With…David SolomonDavid Solomon is back, and completely focused on his paintings

David Solomon has been an integral part of Santa Fe’s art community for many years, so when he left town in 2015, his friends and collectors took note.

An abstract painter who has shown his work at the Gerald Peters Gallery and David Richard Gallery, Solomon also has been active as an independent curator, gallery director, framer and art conservator and restorer.

After more than a year’s absence, Solomon returned to Santa Fe last fall to rededicate himself to his work. “In the space of about 18 months I experienced two major moves, a marriage and divorce and the death of my father,” he explains. “I felt so much stress. I needed to come back to Santa Fe to be with my friends.”

Solomon’s travels took him from Houston, where he managed a gallery, to towns south of London to live with his now ex-wife. While he made good connections in both locations and continued to create and sell art, he decided to come home to Santa Fe and live a fairly reclusive existence.

“I’m kind of being a monk right now,” he adds. “I’m feeling more committed to my art practice than ever before.”

Born in New York in 1976, Solomon studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and was the studio assistant to artists Frank Lobdell and John Henry Waddell.

Solomon sees his paintings as “pre-recorded messages” that already exist and himself as the vehicle for their expression. “I try to affect people on the subconscious level,” he says. “My shapes operate with multiple meanings at the same time.”

“Transition System,” oil on aluminum panel, 36″ x 30″, 2017

Forms of fruits, seeds, flowers and various animals still act as elements in his compositions. An avid reader, Solomon has developed a deep respect for mysticism, physics and natural environments. The pyramid is one of his favorite images.

“I work on an improvisational level, not planning out what I’m going to do in advance,” he explains. “My pieces in the “Falling Bodies” series are the exception. For the first time, I’ve been pursuing one idea of objects falling through space. These new works will be featured in a two-person show at a gallery in Houston in January and at AQUA Miami with the same gallery.”

Solomon continues to create works on paper and on aluminum panel. When a piece is finished, he trusts that it will secure a good home, saying “I believe that every one of my works has a viewer it was meant for.”